Al drinks A.H. Riise Royal Danish Navy Rum and he is keen to deep dive into "the Good Old Days" - and just what this oft-repeated phrase and concept means. Does it hold any weight, any water - the weight of water perhaps... that is, was the past better than the present? Or is Now better? How do we judge these things with any objectivity and accuracy. Bloody intense topics! Zed savors an affordable bottle of Sake (Japanese fermented rice wine) and he gives massive amounts of Shri Shri-type Gyaan and philosophizes about traditional values, the need for metrics, and the life-long search for his lost Heart. Like two Old Monks, Al and Zed confer the auspicious title of Guru-ji on each other. Al and Zed talk about perspectives and why love and compassion is so important, about Confucius and what it really means to grow up, the problem of implementing change in advertising and brand marketing in India and other markets, learning and education in the digital world, the pros and cons of media and entertainment at the touch of a damn phone button, the age-old divine virtue of Patience, liberalism in a disoriented world, and why most agencies suck today and don't end up solving any real business problems although they are great at creating problems. Al professes his true love for Rum and Coca-cola, and he sings his beautiful heart out. Zed remembers his very first drinks on the rocks at Bandstand in Bandra, Bombay, India. Al tells the story of travelling to Brazil with his buddy for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 17 days of bliss on the beaches of Rio long before Covid when we were all young and innocent and happy, and watching the finals live at the stadium, only to see his team (Viva Brazil) lose. Damn crap.
Other topics covered at random:
British Airways brand marketing, SAS in the Nordics, the joys of producing medium-form brand content, Haywards 5000 beer, the Pacific Ring of Fire, living next to active volcanoes, the terror of earthquakes, combining knowledge and experience, pushing the boundaries of learning, questioning everything and Oneself, and finally, forming India's newest political party -much needed under the utterly dire circumstances that we all find ourselves in lately - the BYOB Party of India. Jai Hind!